e perfume coated her tongue. It was thick and artificial, clinging to every surface of the room. Fiona's

n completely eradicated. The walls were now covered in a gaudy, metallic pink wallpaper. Heavy gold accents

care bottles, scattered makeup brushes, and velvet jewelry boxes. There was not a single trace of Fiona left

force. The racks, once filled with her meticulously tailored suits and haute couture gowns, were completely empty of her belongings.

n bedroom door, stopping abruptly when she saw Fiona. The girl's eyes

ered out, a quiet,

rd the door. Her eyes were

y things?" s

iona's voice made the yo

ger down the long, shadowed hall

to be packed up and thrown into

t like a physical blow, kn

the hallway. Her boots hit the floorboards with a steady, rhythmic thud. With every step she took away

the rusted brass knob and twisted it hard. The hinges let out a high-pitched, agonizing shriek as she pushed the

ulb flickered violently before finally casting a sickly yellow glow over the room. The spa

ic of a garbage bag, the cheap material scraping roughly against her cold fingers. She du

und movie scripts. Fiona picked up one of the scripts. The edges of the paper were curled and spotted wi

a cloud of dust that coated the back of her throat, sending her into a fit of harsh, dry coughing. As

ried under a pile of broken picture frames. The smooth surface of the trophy was marred by deep,

er fingers closed around the wood, a jagged shard of glass sliced deep into the pad of her index finger.

eheads pressed together. The blood smeared across Cecil's smiling face. The contrast between the joyful

it out of the frame. The broken glass scraped against her skin, slicing another shallow cut into her t

her hands and let the pieces flutter to the dusty floorboards. As the paper hit the ground, a massive, suffocat

. She dragged it out, her muscles straining against the weight. She grabbed the zipper and yanked it.

necklaces and heavy gold bracelets Cecil had bought her, kicking them away with the toe of her boot. She on

he Best Actress trophy. The metal was freezing cold against her skin. The heavy weight of it

hed metal statue. Her movements were slow, gentle, and fiercely protective. She placed

stakable sound of hard leather dress shoes striking the wood echoed down the corridor. The

pper and pulled it around the track, the metal screaming in the quiet room. S

ked the dim light spilling in from the hallway, plunging the small storage room into dee

glass, and finally, the packed suitcase resting again

e you trying to pull?" he deman

and stared directly into his furious eyes. Her heartbeat was steady. Her brea

your wedding vows?" she asked, her voice dripping with ven

ausing his chest to stutt

second. He scowled, his upper lip curling in

ok it upon themselves to c

ardly lie made F

the cold plastic handle of her suitcase. The wheels clattered loudly against the wood floor